Optical transceivers can be defined by multi-source agreements (MSAs) or equivalents. MSAs are agreements for specifications of optical transceivers agreed to by multiple vendors, organizations, etc. and promulgated for other vendors and network operators to utilize. MSAs allow other vendors to design transceivers to the same specifications reducing the risk for vendors and operators, increasing flexibility, and accelerating the introduction of new technology. Exemplary MSAs include XFP, XPAK, XENPAK, X2, XFP-E, SFP, SFP+, and 300-pin. Exemplary MSAs for 40G, 100G, 200G, and 400G include CFP and variants thereof (e.g., CFP2, CFP4, CXP), CDFP and variants thereof (e.g., CDFP2, CDFP4, etc.), OIF-MSA-100GLH-EM-01.0—Multisource Agreement for 100G Long-Haul DWDM Transmission Module—Electromechanical (June 2010) (hereinafter MSA-100GLH), CCRx (Compact Coherent Receiver), Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP) and variants thereof (e.g., QSFP+, QSFP2, QSFP28), 10×10 MSA, and the like. Additionally, new MSAs are emerging to address new services, applications, and advanced technology. Each MSA defines the transceiver's mechanical characteristics, management interfaces, electrical characteristics, optical characteristics, and thermal requirements. Because of MSA specifications, MSA-compliant optical transceivers are standardized among equipment vendors and network operators to support multiple sources for optical transceivers and interoperability. As such, MSA-compliant optical transceivers have become the dominant form of optical transmitters and receivers in the industry finding widespread acceptance over proprietary implementations.
Advantageously, MSA-compliant optical transceivers ensure engineering re-use and compatibility between various applications and the physical media dependent (PMD) transceivers. Further, equipment vendors realize streamlined manufacturing and inventory control by removing wavelength specific decisions from the manufacturing process. For example, all line cards are manufactured the same, and the optical transceiver module with the desired wavelength (e.g. 850 nm, 1310 nm, 1550 nm, coarse wave division multiplexed (CWDM), dense wave division multiplexed (DWDM), etc.) is plugged in as a function of the specific application or development configuration. Network operators and service providers have adopted optical transceivers to reduce sparing costs. Further, significant cost reductions are realized by MSA standardization of optical transceivers because of multiple independent manufacturing sources. The MSA specifications tightly define the mechanical characteristics, management interfaces, electrical characteristics, optical characteristics, and thermal requirements of optical transceivers. Advantageously, this enables interoperability among equipment vendors of optical transceivers, i.e. any MSA-compatible optical transceiver can be used in any host system designed to the MSA specification; however, these tightly defined characteristics limit the performance of optical transceivers since the MSA specifications were designed to maximize density and minimize cost, and not to provide advanced optical performance or other integrated functions.
New and emerging MSAs are continuously being developed, with more and more functionality. Further, similarly sized MSAs are being provided for different applications, such as XENPAK and XFP; CFP2 and QSFP28; and the like. This leads to vendors having to produce different form factors with the same functionality and operators having to procure, spare, and manage the different form factors. It would be advantageous to reduce the number of modules and sparing requirements, both from a design and manufacturing perspective and from an operation perspective.
Further, the same MSA compatible module may be used in various different applications ranging from short reach intra-office interconnect to long reach connections of 100 s of kilometers. Conventionally, from a supplier perspective, different modules all compatible with the same MSA have to be produced to address the different applications. Conversely, from an operator perspective, the same number different modules must be procured, spared, etc. Thus, similar to above, it would be advantageous to increase the application support for the same module to address the aforementioned limitations.